LETTER FROM THE
EDITOR
Stephanie Rodriguez
OMG!Doctor I caught the flu again. GeeSuzy this is your second time here in
this month! I know, I know but…No but! Have you even thought about the flu shot I
recommended?Yes I have but, I somehow never have time. So you’re telling me that
you haven’t even had a physical check up! Umm yeah no. Besides! Doctor it’s not like if
that little flu shot is going to cure me for a whole year. Ha-ha-ha I hate to tell you but
yes it does prevents you from the flu. You have it all mix up. Huh? What are you talking
about? I am saying that you should really go get a checkup. Oh and here take this
magazine it will help you understand what I’m talking about. This magazine is called
“You Have What”, if you do read it, this magazine will help you learn about your
Immune System, HIV, HPV and a little bit more. Immune System? Lord! I feel worst.
Suzy just take the magazine and go get a checkup.
Well hello there! I am Dr. Rodriguez and I have studied the human’s Immune
System for many years. Been a doctor is great but, it is really complicated when you
have patients like Suzy. It’s complicated becausethey are not aware on how important
their body is. This is why some colleaguesand I have put together a magazine called
‘’You Have What?”. In this magazine you will find yourself really interested and anxious
to know more.
This magazine will offer you some really cool facts about some really slow
deadly viruses. One of the viruses is called HIV and I’ll leave it to you to go figure out
what that means. Another virus will be HPV which is not as bad as HIV but could be.
Also how you can only have AIDSif you have HIV that has hit you immune system
badly.
Just becauseI’m a doctor it doesn’t mean that I’m 100%healthy. When I first
started as a doctor I became ill. Soon I had a blood transition and unfortunately this
blood was contaminated with HIV. The good part is that I diagnose my HIV on time and
was able to control it.

This is why this magazine is so, so important. To let others know how important
it is to know who and what we are against and what we are fighting for.

HIV: Silent
Killer of the
80’s
Guadalupe
Talavera
It has been said
that HIV has originated
in Africa. It has been
proved that HIV is very
similar to SIV (Simian
Immunodeficiency
Virus), which is a virus
that comes from
chimpanzees in West
Africa. There are two
main theories in which
scientist believe that this
virus went from
chimpanzees to humans.
There is the “The Hunter
Theory” in which a
chimp’s blood entered a
cut or wound of a
hunter, then the virus
adapted to the new
human host causing
HIV. The other main
theory is called “The
Oral Polio Vaccine
Theory”. This theory
states that HIV was
transmitted to humans
by an oral polio vaccine
that was given to about a
million people in Africa
in the late 1950’s. But it
is not exactly certain for
sure how HIV was
transferred to humans.

HIV stands for
Human
Immunodeficiency
Virus. It is a retrovirus
composed of two RNA
single strands. Now this
retrovirus is different
from all other viruses
because it contains
reverse transcriptase.
This means once the
virus infects a cell its
RNA uses the reverse

transcriptase to convert
itself to the DNA in the
nucleus of the cell.
HIV only targets
one type of specific
cells, and these cells are
CD4+ Helper T cells.
These cells play a major
role in helping the
immune system defend

the body from foreign
invaders such as other
viruses or bacteria.
These cells activate
other cells, such as killer
T cells and memory B
cells that help clear the
body from any foreign
invaders. If these cells
are not activate by
CD4+ the immune
system would be very
vulnerable, and this is
what HIV does to
human immune
systems.
This HIV
virus has been
with humans for
about 30 years
now, so why
have scientist not
found a cure or at
least a vaccine?
But, it is not as
easy as it is said,
see the reason
why there is still
no cure or
vaccine is,
because the HIV
virus mutates. It
can mutate so
many times that scientist
cannot keep up.
However, there are
drugs such as
azidothymidine that can
help prevent the spread
of this virus. These
drugs are not cheap
though, so not

everybody who has HIV
can afford them.

Giovanni Alvarez
The immune system has help out my body through many ill days at home or at school. I
try hard to stay far enough from people who are sick or from objects that been contaminated.
Occasionally I get sick with flu or a bad cough but eventually it goes away. My immune system
always know what to do when I get sick and have found ways to prevent it from happening in
ways that only they have known to do.
The immune system is to help our body to be safe, but to those who try to help others,
there is always something to cause trouble to anything. Bacteria and viruses have the immune
system greatest enemies that have always find a way to attack our body.
Viruses
and bacteria are
known as
pathogen since
they have ways
to make our
body sick.
Once the
pathogen has
infect our body,
there antigen
that attach to
the pathogen to
alert the
immune system
of a virus that
is damaging
our body. This
helps prevent
our body from
getting any
worse from the
bacteria or
virus from
spreading to the
rest of our
inside.
Viruses
are the smallest
organisms that
can be are in
the world. A
virus is
designed as a
protein capsule
that contains
either a DNA
or RNA. The
goal for every
virus goal is to
find a living
cell and infect
it so it would
be able to
reproduce more
viruses. Once the virus begins to reproduce, the cycle will begin to make more viruses. In the end
of reproducing the host cell will die.
The immune system helps with the virus on the inside. Who is stopping the virus from
the outside? Our body has a non-specific defense system that is able to stop some of the virus
before it is able to get inside our body. Some of the defense is our skin, epithelial tissue, and the
mucous membrane that acts a outer barrier to prevent pathogen from entering. Lysozymes that

are in our teardrop can cause any cell to burst. The ciliated epithelium (nose hair) catches
pathogen before entering and dispose of it like waste.
Immunity is a key thing for the immune system to work. They are specialized cells and
parts of the immune system that offer the body protection against diseases. Immunity is branch
off to three different parts:
Innate- works to make the human body from being ill from some viruses like HIV or AIDS.
Adaptive- is the second
part of protection that
involves lymphocytes
to develop to exposure
from a disease or from
vaccination.
Passive- a protection
source from another
person (for example,
mom giving breast milk
that contains antibodies
to a baby)
B-cells in our
body help to produce
specific antibodies to
block any virus. For
example, one B-cells
can block a virus as
another attach to
bacterium that can
cause pneumonia.
As a B-cell
encounter a virus, it
triggers the antigen to
alert the plasma cells.
Every B-cell is selected
from different plasma
cell to create identical
antibodies to be release
into the bloodstream.
B-cell and Tcell help the immune
system but both are
very different. B-cells
produce antibodies but
need to recognize the
antigen to create the specific antibody for it. The T-cell is to help fight the bacteria and virus
when it has been exposed. Some T-cell like cytotoxic directly kill invader and helper T-cell assist
B-cell with their job.
CD$+ Helper T-cell are to help our body to boost the immune response of being infected
by HIV. One problem is that the HIV virus attack the helper cell to prevent its duty. The CD8+
cytotoxic T-cell help s to enhance the T-cell to be more aware of for most invader cells. The
CD8 helps to send a signal to be an important role to react more quickly to allergy or organ
transplant rejection.

Kevin Morales
Bob Gallo is a Biomedical Researcher from the United States. He was born in March
23 , 1937 in Waterbury, Connecticut. He is famous for being the co-discoverer of HIV which is
a virus that basically removes your immune system by killing your Helper T-Cells. Bob Gallo
was influenced to viral sciences because his sister died of Leukemia. Bob Gallo is the director
of an institute called the “Institute of Human Virology. This Institute is located in the
University Of Maryland School Of Medicine in Baltimore. Bob Gallo was the person who
discovered the first retrovirus, which was an RNA tumor virus which was associated with certain
types of leukemia and lymphomas.
rd

Bob Gallo’s major contributed in the field of HIV and AIDS that’s why he is consider the
co-discoverer of the HIV virus. He tried to take the credit of being the actual discoverer of the
virus. Yet he did not succeed in getting the title of discoverer after a lawsuit with the actual
person who discovered HIV. The actual person who discovered HIV was a French Scientist
named Luc Montagnier. Montagnier and Gallo have had a dispute on who discovered HIV.
Gallo then flew to France to talk about this dispute. Gallo was a powerful scientist and
Montagnier may have been intimidated or he didn’t want this to become a bigger quandary. So
to resolve this problem Montagnier agree to give Gallo some credit for the discovery of the HIV
virus. Even though Gallo didn’t do the research that Montagnier had done. Gallo also published
his story on finding out that chemokines is what can block the HIV and the development of
AIDS. In 1986, he also discovered that HIV-1 is the key factor that causes AIDS.
Currently Bob Gallo is currently working in the University Of Maryland School Of
Medicine working on his biomedical research. He is working on his study of blood cells and
abnormalities.

Karla Landeros
HPV is a type of infection that can lead to a type of cancer in any of the vulva, vagina,
rectum, cervix, penis, anus, or scrotum. HPV is visible when genital warts show on
various parts of the skin. Genital warts are visible on the arms, hands, legs, and some
other parts of the skin. There is no type of high-risk for HPV in women or men. Men
and women feel
fine even though
their cells are
changing because of
the HPV infection.
It does not have an
exacted cell to
target it just targets
any type of cell.
Once this process
takes place the
replacement cell is
called the “host”
cell. The host cell
produces and
makes copies of the
viral DNA and
RNA. Once this
happen the “host”
cells die and new
produced viruses
are released to go and
infect even more
cells. Some ways it
can be transmitted is by sex, oral sex, and by French kissing. Yes HPV can give people
cervix cancer. One way to increases the risk of this cancer would be by smoking. There is
no treatment and there are no recommendations for treating it unless you have genital
warts. There are two types of vaccines one is Gardasil and Cervarix. Cervarix protects
against HPV-16 and HPV-18 and which 7 out of 10 may lead to
cervical cancer; Gardasil covers HPV-6 and HPV-11and which 9
out of 10 can lead to genital warts.

Facts:
-MORE THEN 100 TYPES OF HPV.
-9 THAT CUASES CANCER.
-3 OUT OF 4 WOMEN GET IT.
-HALF OF THE MEN HAVE HPV.

Anita Garcia
Background Information:
AIDS also known as “acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome” This deadly
disease was reported in June 5, 1981 when
the CDC found 5 homosexual that suffered
from PCP (pneumocystis carini
pneumonia). AIDS is the second step to
HIV. HIV is “human immunodeficiency
virus”, and is transmitted through body
fluids.
In 1981 when AIDS was first
discovered and many people, due to their
ignorance believed that it was only gay
related. Do to their beliefs, GRID became the term used for people that acquired this
lethal disease. GRID is also known as “gay related immune deficiency”. As the time
passed by people got more informed, GRID was removed in July 1982 and AIDS became
the official name.
Once AIDS was exposed, it was believed to come from SIV. This disease
generated from chimpanzees, apes and monkeys in Africa. It’s also known as “Simian
Immunodeficiency Virus”. SIV is believed to have been transmitted to humans .You may
be asking yourself how monkeys were able to transmit their disease to humans, right?
Well one way for SIV to be passed on to humans is by:
• Meat eaters
• Hunters: if the hunter had a cut and blood from the animal transfered onto
him.
The above possibilities would have only taken effect in humans being infected
only if the apes were infected with SIV.
The very first suspects of AIDS were hemophiliacs, heroin users, homosexuals
and Haitians. Back in the days, there were certain people that wouldn’t believe in AIDS
being a blood transmitted disease. As you could see all these users have a common trait.
Either it contained needles, blood transfusion or being a sexual transmitted disease.
Overall it was transmitted by body fluids which got all these people infected.

Ways to Diagnose AIDS:
AIDS being the second step to HIV strongly affects the immune system. Once a person
has contracted HIV/AIDS, they are prone to severe illnesses. Due to the fact that this
deadly disease has affected the immune system, a minor illness can result in death!
People with AIDS often have systemic systems of infection like the follow:
• Fevers
• Sweats (mostly at night)]
• Swollen glands
• Chills
• Weakness
• Weight loss
As an effect of a really low immune system, AIDS/HIV people are prone to many more
illnesses like:
• Pneumocystis Pneumonia also known as “PCP” or Pneumocystis Carini
Pneumonia. A little back information on PCP is that it only occurs if our CD4
helper cells are lower than 200 cells.
• Gastrointestinal is an inflammation in the lining of the lower end of the
esophagus.
AIDS Follow Ups:
• Toxoplasmosis a disease that affects the brain. Toxoplasmosis is caused
by a cell called toxoplasmosis gondii.
• Cryptococcus Meningitis infects the menix which is a covering for the
spinal cord and brain. It causes fevers, headaches, fatigue, nausea and
vomiting.
• Tumors, another major follow up in AIDS/HIV patients. So many severe
diseases that a patient is highly prone to if they are AIDS/HIV positive.
• Cytomegalovirus disease causes light flashes, floaters, loss of central and
peripheral visual fields and blurred vision
• Diarrhea: another illness which are caused by salmonella, shigella,
campylobacter. There are so many other illnesses that are caused by
AIDS/HIV. Therefore its better to have protected sex and always check
yourself, before its too late.
All this lethal diseases are the result of AIDS killing our CD4+ Helper T Cells. Without
our Helper T Cells HIV cells could do anything they want in our body because they are
no cells that would fight them. In worst cases AIDS/HIV patients get a mild fever which
canend up being fatal. The immune system becomes weak that any minor sickness could
threaten their life.
Stages of HIV to AIDS:

HIV is a retrovirus and that makes it difficult to find a cure for this noxious disease.
“Retrovirus is a RNA virus that is replicated in a host cell via the enzyme reverse
transcriptase. Afterwards, it will produce DNA from its RNA genome”. The RNA virus
procedure of turning into DNA and entering the host cell have scientist eager. HIV
mutates constantly therefore scientist would create various types of vaccines to stop
reverse transcriptase.
Reason Why HIV Progresses Slowly In Certain People:
HIV without any medication normally takes about 10 years to become AIDS.
Once a person is diagnosed with AIDS is when HIV leaves the host cell and reproduces
more HIV cells. Once this happens the killing of our CD4 cells drops so much that people
are more prone to opportunistic infections HIV is a lentivirus, therefore their incubation
period is longer. It just means that they will remain in the host cell for a longer period of
time. A provirus is a virus genome that is integrated into the DNA of a host cell. This
state can be a stage of virus replication, or a state that persists over longer periods of time
as either inactive viral infections or an endogenous retrovirus.Though, if you don’t have a
really well balanced nutrition then you will be more prone tor AIDS. In certain people
HIV doesn’t progress into AIDS because their CD4 count of cells hasn’t dropped to less
than 200 mg of blood. Another reason why some people don’t develop AIDS is because
they don’t catch an opportunistic infection takes place.

Najah Graves
And The Band Played On is a fact based movie based on the epidemic, and
political views of HIV/AIDS, or GRID as it was first called. GRID, Gay Related
Immune Deficiency. When the first few cases of this new virus hit the U.S, the virus was
seen in gay manner. Being that we were ignorant to this virus, seeing how it was fairly
new, we automatically linked it to what we knew it to be at that time .Over time as we
became more educated about the virus the name was changed to HIV/AIDS, which
describes the progression of the virus.
The HIV/AIDS virus was seen in other parts of the county before the epidemic
reached the U.S. The epidemic began in 1976 South Africa, in the Ebola River, and
quickly spread. The virus derived from a sick breed of monkeys. Being that the virus
jumps hosts, it quickly spread.
Since the discovery of the HIV/AIDS virus, there has been endless research on the
virus itself. People of walks have helped towards the research of the virus. These are the
few groups who contracted the virus via various ways. This helped lead to the
understanding of how the HIV/AIDS virus spread . Doctors who’ve greatly contributed to
the research of the virus are, Dr. Jaffe, who studies STD’s, Dr. Darrow, who is a doctor
of sociology, and last but not least, Dr. Lawrence , who studies host factors. French
scientist also helped to better understand the virus. They were the team who founded the
virus, and found that the virus itself was a retrovirus.
One of the most memorable scenes from the film has to be when Dr. Don Francis,
played by Mathew Modine, has an outburst in the court room and says, “how many more
people have to die before you do something, give us a number so we can be sure to not
bother you until we’ve reached it.” That was so powerful. The political side of the virus’
situation wasn’t too good. They we’re doing very little to help understand it better. They
wanted to keep the epidemic a secret, but you can’t keep something such as the virus a
secret , if its taking innocent lives without the victim even knowing , or understanding the
virus in which they are dying from .
Factor that contributed to the spread of the virus was, the fact that we did not
know where it came from, or how people we’re being infected with it . Another reason ,
is that the virus could show no symptoms for up to ten years . That means people who
were infected and didn’t know they were infected, which lead to them affecting other
people. The fact that we didn’t know, contributed to the widespread of the epidemic.
We could have looked at all possible factors, and used our knowledge on virus’,
to point the key factors that we needed to know about the virus. The basic information
about the virus like, how does it spread, what does it do to our immune system, if we
would have knew this earlier on in my opinion the virus wouldn’t have spread so quickly
as it did. Not knowing , and not trying to know played a huge roll in this epidemic that is
still continuing to spread throughout today.